Hood closure supporting means



May 9 1944- q w. H. KRAusE 2,348,348

HOOD CLOSURE SUPFORTINGv MEANS Filed Jan. 20, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 'Jy Mu w May 9, 1944. w. H; lnAusE 2,348,348

HOOD CLOSURE SUPPORTING MEANS l Filed Jan. 20, 1943 Y 2 ShBBiB-Sheet 2 Patented May 9, 1944 Hoop cLosUaE SUPPORTING MEANS Walter H. Krause, Chcagoflll., assigner to Chicago Forging & Manufacturing Co.. Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application January 20, 1943, Serial No. 472,954

9 Claims. (Cl. 16e-128.1)

This invention relates to an improvement in hinge means or movable supporting connections between an automobile hood closureand the vehicle.

One purpose is the provision of improved connecting means between closure and Vehicle which shall render the conventional hinge connection unnecessary. I l

Another purpose is the provision of animproved guiding and supporting connection between hood closure and vehicle which shall per` mit precise control of the path of movement of the closure when it is moving between open and Closed position.

Another purpose is the provision of an improved connection which shall provide a minimum of friction and necessitate the employment of a minimum force in raising and lowering the hood closure.

Other purposes will appear from time to time throughout the specication and claims.

The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically 'in the accompanying drawings, whereinl Figure 1 is a side elevation of the fore part of the vehicle whenV the closure is in closed position, with the enclosed parts indicated in dotted lines; f I

AFigure 2 is a plan view of the structure shown lnvFigure 1 with the interior parts indicated in dotted lines;

Figure 3 is a partial side elevation with the hood closure in raised position; Y

Figure 4 is a section on an enlarged scale the line ll--d of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a section on an enlarged scale on the line 5 5 of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 illustrates the bearing parts of a Variant formof the device. v Like parts are indicated by like symbols throughout the specification and drawings.

Referring to the drawings, I generally indicates the hood of a vehicle,rsuch as anautomobile. Tlle cowl is indicated as at 2. 3 indicates generally the body portion of the vehicle. .4 in'- dicates the hood closure of the Vehicle, 5 indicating its lower edge at its junction or engagement with the opposed part of the hood I. It will be understood that any suitable hood latch means may be employed, not herein shown, for locking the closure 4 in closed position and for permit ting it to be raised at the will of the operator. lt' will be understood that any conventional hood latchmeans may be employed, for example, adja cent the forward end of the closure 4.`

Located at each side of the cowl 2 is a bearing plate generally indicated as 6. It may be secured to the cowl by any suitable securing means, for example, the bolts 'I and the nuts 8. It will be understood, of course, it may be riveted or other- I wise secured. The member is shown, for exam-A lll ple in Figure 4, as generally arcuate and as being Vprovided with an arcuate slot 9, having inwardly turned equidistant anges I0, whereby a species of arcuate track is formed, closed at the ends, as at I I. Located adjacent the track slot 9 is a fixed arcuate rack I2, having teeth I3 on the edge closest to the track slot 9.

Mounted at each side of the inner face of the hood closure 4 is a bracket member I4,.which may be Welded, bolted, or otherwise secured to the inner face of the hood closure. The bracketi member Il may, if desired, be secured to any suitable transversely extending reinforcement I5., extending across the closure ll. Each such mem ber I4 has a rearwardly extending portion I5,. which when employed with a hood closure of the proportions shown inthe present application may` be spaced inwardly from the inner face of the: closure 4, as shown in Figure 5. It will be un-` derstood of course, that the proportions and or washer 26 may be mounted on each of the pins- I'I and engages the inner edges of the anges I0 in a guiding relation. It will be understood that the rollers I8 penetrate and. ride in the track slot 9 and serve as guiding and supporting means and also asjfriction reducing means. The pinions I9 are in meshwith the teeth I3 of the rack I2, and render the relative movement of the parts easier andalso assist in holding the parts against `unintended movement at the time when force is not being applied to the closure.A

Any suitable additional means interposed between the closure 4 and the vehicle, or for example the cowl 2, may be employed for holding the hood positively in raised position and for reducing the force necessary for positively lifting the closure. Since such means does not form part of the present invention, and since a wide variety of ers engaging the slot. 9 or 9a, 8b may be sub-` stantially varied to suit the needs of the particular structure. It will be understood, Afor eX- ample, that the parts are so proportioned that the rear edge of the closure t, in the course ofV the lifting movement, is lifted free from the4 cowl or from the adjacent parts of the vehicle so that there is no Contact or Wear. However, the parts are so proportioned that, when the closure is in the closed position in which it is shown in Figure 4, it snugly engages and is drawn down about the cowl 2 and the adjacent portions of the vehicle.

It .will be further understood that, whereas the employment of the rack is desirable, the slot .against bouncing out of position.

" employed have not altogether solved.

and. roller connections or a slow sliding connection of any suitable type may be employed, The use-Vor the rack and pinion connection and the rollers, however, is practical and useful, andv more satisfactory result is obtained.

It will be realized that, Whereas I have described and illustrated a practical and operative device, nevertheless many changes may be made in the size, shape, number and disposition of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention. I therefore Wish that the descriptionand drawings be taken as in a broad sense illustrative or diagrammatic, rather than as limiting me to my precise showing.

. In particular, it will be understood that, whereas I have shown in Figure 4 a curvilinear or arcuate track, andin Figure 6 a track, part straight and part curvilinear, I may employ a wide variety of trackl contours, preferably at leastJ in part curvilinear, or with an upper portion at a different eective angle to the horizontal than the lower portion, in order that the :forward end of the closure Il, regardless of the particular formation 'or contour of the track, can be raised in relation to the rear end, as shown for example in Figure 3. It Will be understood also that I may employ a wide variety of means for holding thehood in raised position or for assisting .in raising the hood. l

` The use and operation of my device are., asfollows:

The present invention relates to` an improved liinging means for automobile hood closures. As it has. been customary in the p ast to employ more or less 'hinge structures, thel substitute herein described and claimed, namely `a slot and` roller connection, preferably accompanied withua rack and pinion connection, constitutes anemcient solution or the hinging problem and provides means for permitting the hood quickly and easily to be raised Aand lowered into and" out of closing ingorplay of the rear portion of the closure isv prevented. Y

.'Itwillbe observed from Figures 4. and 6, that both the slot and rollerv connectiongand the acompanying 'rack and pinion connection are curved or inclined away from the vertical. The upper surface of the slot and the rack overlie the rollers and the pinions. When any suitable locking means is employed for locking the front end of the hood in place, this overhang of the slot and the rack is an effective means for holding the rear edge of the hood'rmly in place. The parts are, of course, so designed and proportioned that, when the front end of the hood is in closed position, the rear edge or" the hood snugly engages the cowl which it overlies. l When the hood is in closed position, with the front endlocked, the rack and pinion device holds the rear end or edge of the hood rmly This is one of the diiculties which the hinges previously In fact, even withthe present structure, if the rack and pinion connection is omitted, the rollers in the slot may tend to move too freely and may allow somebouncing out of position which is prevented when the rack and pinion connectioni is added. Furthermore, the presence of the rackand pinionY connection deiinitely aids in maintaining the hood in full raised orin any. intermediate position.

As will appear in Figure 3, the slot and the rack are so proportioned and positioned that as thev hood is tilted into open position, the rear.l

edge ofthev hood. is withdrawn somewhat from the cowl, and does not engage the cowl, as the. hood is raised or lowered. The emplc-yrnentc-f the rack and slot which can be shaped to suit theA particular size and shape of hood employed, frees the designer fromY the necessity of employing complicated and generally compound hinge levers. In the past, the designing of such` hinge levers in order to prevent contact betweenthe rear edge of the closure and the cowl has been a difficult problem. This has resulted in theemployment of frequentlyy quite complicated hinge structures. In the present invention the slot and its associated rack may be arcuate or` partly arcuate and may in a real sense be "tailored to suit the particular job.

l. A concealed hinge for a horizontally hinged; closure element, which includes a pluralitynof xed abutments, spaced laterally apart and'lying in parallel, generally vertical planes, each; such abutment` including a generallyarcuately slotted guide member-andl a rack; having aprole substantially the same as the'slotA of said guide member, a closure support` including a member movable inY relation to eachrsaid abutment, each said member including anl element penetrating onefof said slots and a-rotatable pinion inmesh with the rack associated with such slot, the center of the pinion coinciding with the slot penetrating element, and aclosure mounted on and movable unitarily with said closure support;

I2. A concealedhinge for. a horiaonta-liy hinged closure element, which includes a plurality off fixed abutments, spaced laterally apart` and lying.

' in-p'arallel, generally vertical planes, each suc-lr.

abutment including a generally arcuatelyslotted. guide member'and a rack having a profile substantially the same as the slot of said guide member, a closure support including a member. moveable inrelation to each said abutment, eachsaid member including an element penetrating one ofv said slotsand a rotatable pinion-inmeshlwith the rackassociated with such slot, the centen of the pinion coinciding with the slot penetrat-` ing element, and a closure mounted on and movable unitarily with said closure support, one end of the slot of saidmember being substantially lower than the other end and constituting the lowest part of the slot.

3. A concealed hinge for a horizontally hinged closure element, which includes a fixed abutment lying in a generally vertical plane, said abutment including a slotted guide member, one end of the slot of said guide member being substantially lower than the other end and constituting the lowest part of the slot, a closure support including an element penetrating said slot, a rack xed in relation to said abutment and extending along said slot and having substantially the same prorlle, and a pini-on rotatable on said closure support, in mesh with said rack, the center of said pinion intersecting said slot at all positions of the closure support, and a closure on said closure support.

4. A concealed hinge for a horizontally hinged closure element, which includes a xed abutment lying in a generally vertical plane, said abutment including a slotted guide member, one end of the slot of said guide member being substantially lower than the other end and constituting the lowest part of the slot, a closure support including an element penetrating said slot, a rack xed in relation to said abutment and extending along said slot and having substantially the same prole, and a pinion rotatable on said closure support, in mesh with said rack, the center of said pinion intersecting said slot at all positions of the `closure support, and a closure on said closure support, said slot including a generally arcuate portion.

5. A concealed hinge for a horizontally hinged closure element, which includes a xed abutment lying in a generally vertical plane, said abutment including a slotted guide member, one end of the slot of said guide member being sub-f stantially lower than the other end and constituting the lowest part of the slot, a closure support including an element penetrating said slot, a rack xed in relation to said abutment and eX- tending along said slot and having substantially the same prole, and a pinion rotatable on said closure support, in mesh with said rack, the center of said pinion intersecting said slot at all positions of the closure support, and 'a closure on said closure support, said slot including a generally arcuate portion, and a non-arcuate portion continuous therewith.

6. A connection between a plurality of relatively movable parts, including a slotted member xed in relation to one of the parts, an opposed member xed to the other of said parts, a slot penetrating member mounted on the opposed member and penetrating the slot of the slotted member, a rack fixed in relation to the slotted member and conforming to the slot in contour of edge, and a pinion rotatably mounted on the opposed member, and in mesh with said rack.

7. A connection between a plurality of relatively movable parts, including a slotted member fixed in relation to one of the parts, and a rack, parallel with the slot of the slotted member, fixed in relation to one of the parts, an opposed member xed to the other of said parts, a plurality of members mounted on the opposed member, each such member including a portion penetrating a slot of the slotted member and a rotatable pinion portion in mesh with the rack, and co-axial with the sl-ot penetrating portion.

8. A connection between a plurality of relatively movable parts, including a slotted member xed in relation to one of the parts, and a rack, parallel with the slot of the slotted member, xed in relation to one of the parts, an opposed member fixed to the other of said parts,

a plurality of members mounted on the opposed member, each such member including a portion penetrating a slot of the slotted member and a rotatable pinion portion in mesh with the rack, and co-axial with the slot penetrating portion, said slot being generally arcuate.

9. A connection between a plurality of relatively movable parts, including a slotted member xed in relation to one of the parts, and a rack, parallel with the slot of the slotted member, fixed in relation to one of the parts, an opposed member fixed to the other of said parts, a plurality of members mounted on the opposed member, each such member including a portion penetrating a slot of the slotted member and a rotatable pinion portion in mesh with the rack, and co-aXial with the slot penetrating portion, one end of said slot being lower than the other end and constituting the lowest portion of the slot, the slotted member lying in a generally vertical plane.

WALTER H. KRAUSE. 

